Fundraising for Mayor, At-Large City Council Tops $100K

 

Acting Mayor Dave Narkewicz Raised Almost Twice as Much Money as his Opponent, Former Councilor Mike Bardsley; Former Councilor Bill Dwight Raised $18,800, More than the Other Three Candidates Combined in At-Large Council Race.

NORTHAMPTON – Acting Mayor David Narkewicz showed his fundraising muscle this year by raising more than $48,000 in contributions, almost twice that of his opponent, repeat mayoral candidate Michael Bardsley, whose $25,573 in receipts included $11,500 of his own money.

Together, the two mayoral candidates listed fundraising of more than $73,000, and spending of almost $60,000, according to campaign finance statements filed with the city clerk’s office, as required by state law. The reports listed all contributions and spending from Jan. 1 to Oct. 21, although only contributions of $50 or more must be itemized.

The financial reports were due eight days before the Nov. 8 municipal elections but, because municipal offices were closed Monday due to the snowstorm, the reports were due on Tuesday, City Clerk Wendy Mazza said.

(To view Narkewicz’s complete filing, click here. To view Bardsley’s filing, click here.)

Narkewicz, the City Council president, turned in his report on time, but Bardsley’s report was not filed until Wednesday morning; Mazza said she refused to accept Bardsley’s paperwork on late Tuesday afternoon because of addition errors on the summary page of the report that she said needed to be corrected.

Also, candidates for all other positions on next Tuesday’s ballot turned in their financial statements.

The four at-large City Council candidates raised a total of just over $33,000, more than half of that reported by former Ward 1 councilor William “Bill” Dwight, who reported raising $18,822. Incumbent At-large Councilor Jesse Adams raised $8,155; Mari-jon “MJ” Adams-Pullan raised $1,125; and Michael Janik raised $5,400.

The Mayoral Finance Statements

In his computer-generated filing, Narkewicz listed 256 contributions, with many donors making more than one cash donation. In an email to Northampton Media, Narkewicz said there were a total of 606 separate contributions from 525 people; $12,155 of the total came from donations under $50.

Narkewicz’s report showed that 19 people gave the maximum $500, including Downtown Sounds store owner Joe Blumenthal, insurance company owner Peter Whalen, dentist Martin Wohl, investment advisor Rob Ostberg, lawyer Bill Newman, Hadley retiree Jerome Mileur, the campaign’s finance director Jack Hornor, Realtor Patrick Goggins, and consultant Marcy Eisenberg.

Bardsley’s hand-printed filing listed 61 individuals who donated $12,935, with another $4,027 coming from non-itemized contributions under $50. Included in his statement is $11,500 Bardsley loaned his own campaign, a figure he also listed among outstanding liabilities still owed.

Among those making the maximum $500 contribution to Bardsley’s campaign were blogger Adam Cohen, writer Jendi Reiter (Cohen’s wife), physician Norman Perr, former city councilor Angela Plassmann and her husband Jon, and retired orthodontist Arnie Levinson.

Spending by the two mayoral candidates was also revealing.

Narkewicz spent $7,855 with Logictrail LLC of Florence for design, consulting and website updates, $6,000 with Water Lily LLC on rent at his Hampton Avenue campaign office, $1,478 with Collective Copies in Florence for “fundraising expenses,” $3,500 with marketing consultant Maro Zalkind of Northampton, $1,344 with On the Button of Florence for campaign materials, $1,527 with Comcast for headquarters phones, $231 with PayPal for service charges and fundraising transaction fees, $707 for ads in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, and $472 with Paradise Copies of Northampton for various campaign materials.

Narkewicz also spent $2,476 with Connolly Printing of Woburn for 700 lawn signs, $823 with LaJustice Printing Company of Holyoke for campaign brochures, $356 with Quick Stop Printing of Worcester for “lapel stickers,” and $700 with Seth Mias Catering of Leeds for kick-off campaign catering.  The campaign also cited $400 paid to the World War II Club on Conz Street, including $100 room rental on election night.

Expenses for Narkewicz election headquarters also included $572 for insurance, $544 for the huge banner outside, $25 for a banner-sign permit, $56 for electricity, and $12 for balloons.

Bardsley’s expense report included spending $4,415 with Bauhimia LLC for rental of his Main Street, Florence rental, $3,590 with Collective Copies of Florence for printing, $4,009 for ads in the Daily Hampshire  Gazette, $7,139 with Darby O’Brien advertising of South Hadley (he also listed another $1,195 in unpaid bills to Darby O’Brien), $602 with My Campaign Store of Indiana for campaign stickers, $650 with Northampton Media for internet ads, and $295 for advertising in the Rainbow Times of Northampton.

On his forms, Bardsley, a retired school guidance counselor and a longtime former city councilor, stated that he spent $218 for a banner, $218 for insurance from Tavellers, $290 for room rental at the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Florence, $200 for room rental from the WWII club in Northampton, $471 with Seth Mias Catering of Leeds for catering, $237 with the post office for stamps, $120 for room rental at the Council on Aging, $549 with Comcast for phones and internet service, and $108 from Pizza Amore in Northampton.

Outstanding expenses for the Bardsley campaign include $216 in credit card purchases for postcards, $636 to Collective Copies for printing, and $100 for headquarters water and sewer bills.

Narkewicz is carrying no unpaid bills or loans to his own campaign.

The next campaign finance filings for all candidates is due in January, and will cover the period from Oct. 21 forward. At that time, spending on new newspaper and radio ads now being run by the candidates will appear in their statements.

At-Large Council Candidates

Among the four at-large City Council candidates for two seats, Mike Janik raised $5,400 in contributions from blogger Adam Cohen ($500) and his writer wife Jendi Reiter ($500), bus driver Phillip Brocklesby ($150), retired orthodontist Arnold Levinson ($75), state Environmental State Police Officer Jon Plassmann ($100), Florence resident Bob Riddle ($100), Myrtle Street resident Nancy Borel ($100), and Gilrain Terrace resident Alice Walker ($100).

(To see Jesse Adam’s full report, click here; to see Bill Dwight’s complete filing, click here; Michael Janik’s can be found here.)

Janik, the school aide whose campaign began the year with no money, spent $4,902 and ended the reporting period with $538. His expenses included $1,144 on lawn signs, $112 on website hosting, and about $350 on kick-off party expenses. Janik also listed a $2,500 loan from himself to the campaign, which he is carrying as an outstanding liability.

Incumbent At-large Councilor Jesse Adams raised $8,155 since January and spent $8,339. He started the year with $668 and ended the reporting period with $484.

Adams’ list of contributors included 28 people who gave $100 or more, including $500 from each of the following: his father, jeweler Andrew Adams, and his mother, Joya, a paraprofessional, both of Hatfield; his sister Annie, also of Hatfield; cook Matthew Gold of Greenfield; lawyer Tom Kokonowski of Northampton; jeweler Larry Pfeffer of Deerfield; and accountant William Sicard of Hatfield. Attorney Brett Lampaisi of Hatfield and the Pioneer Valley Young Democrats each contributed $250 to the campaign.

Adams, a lawyer, listed campaign expenses that included $3,132 for ads in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, $3,405 for design and layout campaign services to Alexis Design of Northampton, $400 each to Christopher Cappucci of Amherst and Steven Hoeschele of Shelburne Falls (each listed as “campaign manager”), $400 to Improbable Ink of Leeds for “website design and set-up”, and $275 for room rental at the WWII Club on Conz Street for his kick-off campaign.

Bill Dwight’s report listed $18,822 in contributions and $13,326 in spending, leaving his campaign with $5,562; he also listed $1,106 in in-kind contributions and $1,000 he loaned his campaign and carries as an outstanding bill.

Dwight, the former Ward 1 City Councilor, is a former radio talk show host and video store clerk.

Among Dwight’s largest contributors were his mother, Maria Dwight, of California ($500); his uncle, consultant Donald Dwight of New Hampshire ($500); himself and his wife, Lida Lewis ($500 each); lawyer John Bartolo of Florence ($500); lawyer Mikal Weiss of Northampton ($400); writer and former city councilor Rita Bleiman of Northampton ($300); and consultant Gina-Louise Sciarra, his campaign manager ($300).

A number of people also gave Dwight $250 contributions, including Realtor Patrick Goggins, businessman Alfred Griggs, psychiatrist Lewis Cohen of Northampton; employment consultant Jim Nash, lawyer Bill Newman and his wife Dale Melcher ($250 each) and contractor Jonathan Wright.

His expenses included $5,487 to Connolly Printing of Woburn for lawn signs and direct mailing, $1,578 to the Daily Hampshire Gazette for print ads, $750 to Yes Computers for hardware, $150 to Improbable Ink of Leeds for website redesign, and $750 to the Mass. Democratic Party for voters lists.

Dwight’s filing also included about $365 in reimbursements to corporations that had either donated money or in-kind services to his campaign. (City Clerk Mazza said state law prohibits corporations from donating to candidate campaigns.)

The list of reimbursements included a handful of area restaurants, including Spoleto Inc., The Roost, La Veracruzana, Holy Smokes, the Haymarket Café, the Green Bean, the Great Wall, Eclipse, Cup & Top, Bela, Sylvester’s, and State Street Fruit Store. Dwight said he realized the mistake earlier, after receiving a briefing on a relatively new and tougher campaign finance provision than he had encountered on earlier council campaigns.

MJ’s Problems

The fourth at-large City Council candidate MJ Adams-Pullan submitted an incomplete filing on time, but cited the fact Tuesday that her electricity was still out and some records were unavailable. She claimed $1,125 in receipts and $1,147 in expenses, leaving her new campaign with a $22 deficit, something Mazza said is not allowed on such forms. She said Adams-Pullan would be amending her report soon.

Adams-Pullan’s contributions included $200 from both herself and her husband Gordan Pullan, and another $200 from retired teacher Paul Reisch of New York. Most of her expenses were for postage and mailing.

But Adams-Pullan, executive director of Habitat for Humanity and a member of the Board of Public Works, has another problem.

In mid-October, her husband, Gordon Pullan,was arrested on charges he was masturbating in the sauna of the YMCA health club on Prospect St. He was identified by another member of the club, who confronted Pullan before he ran from the locker room and drove off.

On Oct. 25, Pullan admitted to sufficient facts for the charge of indecent exposure, and was placed on two years probation, ordered to by Northampton District Court Judge Michael Goggins to alcohol abuse counseling and to stay away from the YMCA.

Asked for comment, Adams-Pullan suggested people not come to any conclusions about the incident, and asked that her family be afforded privacy in the matter.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette, in its reporting of the matter, did not mention Pullan’s connection to his wife, the City Council candidate.

© 2011 Northampton Media

David Reid can be reached at dreid@northamptonmedia.com